Letterpress is a really old form of printing that has gotten pretty popular again in the last few years. If you aren’t familiar with letterpress, it basically works like this: 1. A line art design (or lettering) is reversed and made into a raised plate. 2. The design is then laid out out on a grid (and stuck with adhesive) on one side of a letter press machine. 3.Ink is applied to the plate/designs and the machine puts the paper to the design while applying pressure which embosses and prints the paper all at once.  The result is a highly textured, beautiful print.

There are a lot of combo “roller-style”  die cutting/letterpress machines out there (Cuttlebug, Epic Six, and others) that make it possible to create a similar result at home. But to really create professional looking letterpress designs and invitations at home, it helps to get some advice from the pros.  Check out these tips from Boxcar Press (a PRO in letterpress) and DIY letterpress the right way!

http://www.boxcarpress.com/us/blog/2009/11/24/l-letterpress-printing-techniques-from-boxcar-press/

P.S. Boxcar Press can make custom designs from your artwork OR if this all seems pretty complicated, will print things for you.